Bluethroat Luscinia svecica

The Bluethroat is a robin-like bird that has a vast geographical range from the Iberian peninsula across Europe and northern Asia, including Central Asia, and across the Bering Strait to northern Alaska. Populations are patchy in Western Europe. In the UK it is a passage migrant only. It winters in India and North Africa.

There are several races or subspecies over its range. The nominal subspecies from Scandinavia through Russia to Alaska is the Red-spotted Bluethroat since the male has a red patch on his bright blue throat. In southern and central Europe the White-spotted Bluethroat has a white spot in the blue. Shown on this page is L. s. pallidogularis with a red spot (male, top row) on a paler blue throat.

The female has no red spot and much less blue on her throat.

Photos were taken by Alexandra Makhnina in Kazakhstan.